Malaga, WA

The affordability dashboard for Malaga, WA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 2,146 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of D (44/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $70,197, median home value of $437,600, median rent of $1,766 per month, and 25.9% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher. These four metrics alone explain most of the variance between city dashboards.

Cross-agency feeds widen the picture beyond Census demographics. HUD publishes a Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in this county at $1,500 per month (studio $1,034, 1BR $1,143, 3BR $2,063, 4BR $2,516). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $12,326 per year, consuming 18% of the local median household income.

Reading the overall grade requires reading all seven dimensions together. The score weights Income 20%, Safety 20%, Housing 15%, Rent 15%, Education 10%, Commute 10%, and Childcare 10%, with each sub-score benchmarked against national percentiles rather than state averages — so the grade is genuinely comparable across any city in the country. Pressure points are housing. Unemployment currently reads 3.7% and poverty 3.1% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.